Never Trust a ShapeShifter
by Rasgnarok
Summary: Shawn, a 19 year old girl, first and only Shape-Shifter known in Tamriel, has been on the run ever since her family tried to kill her. Never staying too long in one place, she always hides under a disguise. Shawn never shows her true face, but maybe a certain thief, a family of assassins and the Dragonborn could change that. Story made in collaboration with Valfreya.
1. Chapter 1

**Review Please! The story was made in collaboration with my sis Valfreya!(Its her pen name)**

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_"Blood..." _I whisper with disgust, crouching down, the horrible smell reaching my sensitive nose.

The guard passing by my cell only stared at me like if I just lost it. I huffed. The idiots didn't seem to be able to hear the screams outside, nor smell the battle raging. A thought ran across my mind:

Was he deaf?

I could feel the fear surrounding him. I growled again. If only I could take off those magical cuffs that mage, Farengar, made to short circuit my powers...I was smiling at the thought of it.

I had no idea how they managed to capture me. The guards saw me go into the inn named the Bannered Mare, and seconds later, the whole army of Whiterun flooded into the building. I could have taken them out easily, but there was that damned mage. He threw a spell at me and I dropped like a fly.

I'm surprised I'm still alive. I think Balgruuf doesn't understand the danger I represent. Of course, who would have thought that this small breton girl with baby blue eyes and the arm strength of a child would be terrible danger?

Nobody. Sadly, they were making the worst mistake in their life. And the last. You can't trust a shape-shifter. Too sneaky, too manipulative.

Not that I want to hurt people. I can't help it. My power goes over my head and sometimes I feel like if I am a god. For example, the two Altmers the Aldmeri Dominion had sent after me. I smiled to myself at the thought of what happened. Really, my power was awesome, but it sometimes drove me _nuts_. Main reason why those two High Elf were dust in the wind right now.

Suddenly, the jail's door burst open and three men in blue armor, Stormcloaks, rushed in. The guard didn't have the time to unsheath his sword that an axe made its way into his back. A shiver went through his spine and he collapsed in front of my cell. The Stormcloaks then looked at me. They seemed disgusted by my appearance, because they opened the cell door and grabbed me by the hair. I shrieked in pain, trying to take off the bloody cuffs.

"Gerl, you get the honors." said one of the Stormcloak to another, who seemed to smile under his mask.

He raised his axe and brought it down on me, but, with a burst of adrenaline, I dodged. The axe broke my cuffs and I smiled, showing my fangs. I grabbed the Stormcloak who had me by the hair and threw him on his friends. They collapsed against the cell's wall, half conscious because of my strength.

"I should thank you my friends." I said darkly, feeling my body grow and clothe appear on my body.

The three Stormcloack stared at me. I smiled darkly in my helmet. Taking the appearance of one of them and see their faces would have made me roll on the ground, laughing my ass off, but I didn't. Right now, I wanted to get the hell away from this darn city.

I changed into a female with tavern clothes, steel boots and brown gloves. My eyes became blue and my white hair became a pale blond. I rushed out of the cell and slammed the door behind me. With a smirk, I grabbed the axe of a Whiterun guard and rushed outside. The fresh air made me smile. Regaining a stern face, I ran out and dodged an Imperial who was currently attacking me with his greatsword. I threw the axe at him, but he dodged easily, a grin on his face. I growled in annoyment, realising how idiotic was my action.

Slowly I backed to the jail door, feeling incredibly stupid.

"What's the matte, girl?" the Imperial mocked, making me growl.

He didn't have the time to do anything else, because a ebony sword made its way into his chest. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed, revealing a helmet-less Stormcloak behind. He had blond hair and green eyes. Tall and muscular, I felt blood rush to my cheeks as he spoke, walking toward me.

"Are you okay ma'am?" he asked politely, sheathing his sword.

I was never the social one.

I chose to bail out.

My legs flexed as I leaped into a jump, flying above him and landing on the wall of the city. It was an anomaly long jump, I notice. The Stormcloak did too, because he whirled and stared at me in awe. Our eyes meet and I stared at him for a few seconds, before turning around and jumping down the wall, into the wilderness.

"Wait! Hold on!" I heard the Stormcloak scream as I landed on the grass.

I started to change. My clothes dissolved into my skin, who covered itself with white fur. Horns grew on my head as I threw myself on all four, my fingers and toes changing into black shoes. A small tail poked out of my but, as my head became longer and more slender. In seconds, a white stag with gigantic antlers was standing where I was a second ago.

And I ran toward the first place who crossed my mind: Riverwood

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	2. A Thief In The Dark

**This story was made in collaboration with (Her pen name) Valfreya, my sis! Enjoy the story!**

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I ran as fast as I could, white fur bristling at the wind. I circled around Whiterun and headed south, toward Riverwood. People gasped at my passage. I'm sure they never saw a white stag this big and elegant before.

The reason I like to change into strange creatures? I like to travel in style. Once I changed into a pure white werewolf near Falkreath just for the fun of it. I didn't kill anyone, just gave them the fright of their lives. They call me the Wolf Ghost of Falkreath. Laughed my ass off when I heard that rumor.

I used the bridge to cross the river and galloped into the forest. People behind me screamed and shouted in awe, but it soon got out of earshot as I reached a secluded place in front of Riverwood, at the other side of the river. I could smell Riverwood a few meters away. With a smirk, I started to change.

I walked slowly to the edge of the river, staring down at the water. I was now a nord woman with brown eyes and reddish hair, wearing a simple miner's cloth and a pair of black boots. I stared at myself, smiling slightly as I touched the soft skin. No, this disguise wasn't good enough. Then, I changed into a nightmare.

The girl I was now seeing on the water's reflection was thin, with curves and all. She would have been beautiful, but what ruined it was the gold scales covering her naked body and the snow white hair falling on her scale-less face. The skin was peach there, and small scales on her forehead. She was staring right back at me with sad reptilian, deep blue eyes.

I touched my cheek and felt the small scales on it. With a sight, the Nord girl replaced the monster. I got up and swam across the river, arriving into the small island where the mill was. It was midday, but nobody was here. I smiled to myself.

"Time to start acting, Shawn." I said to myself, changing again.

Where I was a second ago stood a fluffy grey and white husky puppy. I made a long whimper, practicing my voice, and walked toward the Sleeping Giant inn. I sat on the stairs, ignored by the people walking by. I closed my eyes, curled up and sighed.

The second I was starting to fall asleep I was lifted off the ground. I yelped and snapped my eyes open, not expecting someone to just grab me. Holding me was a young Imperial female with black brownish hair, red lips and big green eyes. I started to work. I whined in her arms and nuzzled into her neck, making big brown puppy eyes. Immediately she 'awwwwn'-ned.

"You're soo cute!" she said with a high voice as I flapped my tail against her peach dress.

"Hi cuty! My name is Camilla Valerius and you are coming with me." Camilla said, securing me in her arms and walking to the Riverwood Trader, not noticing my dog smirk.

Couldn't have planned it better.

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"Camilla we are not keeping it!" yelled Lucan Valerius for the first time, making me roll my dog eyes.

"Why not Lucan? We should have a dog!" Camilla shouted back.

The two Valerius continued to shout at each other while i stared at them from the counter. I would have preferred that Frodnar or better, the girl named Dorthe found me, but it looked like the Divines weren't with me on this one.

Laying on my belly, I eyed the huge golden claw resting besides me. I liked the shine the carving had against the candle's light. The thing was large and massive, surely made out of pure gold. It would cost a little fortune by itself...

"FINE KEEP THE BLOODY THING!" suddenly screamed Lucan, bringing me back to the fight and scaring the shit out of me at the same time.

Camilla growled at her brother, who stormed out to the streets, leaving the Imperial woman and me behind. Camilla looked at me and I looked at her. There was an awkward silence, where we had a staring contest. Deciding to act like any other animal, I looked away. The Imperial grabbed me and put me down on the floor, before going upstairs.

The next days were calm, as I did the best I could to act like a husky puppy. At night, when the two Valerius were sound asleep, I changed into my true form and stole some potions and food. I ate some, but most of the time I hid the food in an abandoned barrel outside the city, in the forest.

The news of Whiterun's fall came a day after my arrival. It came by the form of a group of Stormcloak soldiers. I was happy that the man who saved me wasn't part of the bunch. Anyway, the soldiers stayed at the inn for free because 'They were protecting the village'. They even tried to made their way with Camilla. Urgh. Poor woman.

I also learned that she was stuck in a love triangle with a Nord and a Wood elf. The Nord is a total ass if you ask me. The first time Camilla showed me to him, the guy looked at me like if I was a piece of trash. Took a lot to not change into a werewolf in front of his stupid face. The Wood Elf, on the contrary, is very cute and extremely nice.

Life is nice here, but I know I have to keep moving. Somehow, Mage Farengar has found a way to detect me. It scares me, no, _terrifies _me. To survive, I always used my powers and I knew nobody could follow me.

Now, I'm not sure...

It was nighttime now, the Valerius were upstairs sleeping like logs. It was now the tenth day since my escape from the Whiterun Jail. I kept count.

I yawned and stretched, before curling up and by the fire. I closed my brown eyes, who were too heavy with sleepiness to stay open. Sleep was claiming me when I heard the door open slowly, quietly.

My eyes snapped open by instinct and I looked at the person. He was a tall nord with blazing red hair and brown eyes. Hard work had made him muscular and strong, and he had been sneaking his way in the Riverwood Traders. Two elven daggers hung against his waist, but he didn't reach for them just yet as I stared him, frozen.

The man had also stopped moving, eyes widening when he saw me. He then started moving towards me, the tiny little husky puppy. I didn't move, I just stared numbly at his armor.

Thieve Guild armor to be exact.

Damn.

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	3. Escape and Irvastead

**Review please! Oh and I only own Shawn, anyone else is owned by Bethesda(sadly)!**

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Silence floated in the room as the thief sneaked toward me in silence. I got up and growled at him. The man stopped and the staring contest resumed.

I had no idea what to do. Bark at him? Attack the Nord? Play possum? Or simply flee? Shit who knew? I was going nuts with my multiple inner voices shouting at me to do something. I had been in a situation like this before but...hmm...let's say I took the most werewolfy way to get out of the mess.

I was about to scream in frustration because of my indecision when the thief made his way to the golden claw. The ninth symphony was set off in me and I reacted without thinking.

I changed into a Barn Owl, flew on the counter and pressed my talons on the golden claw, glaring like daggers at the man and with my feathers puffed up. He took a step back, surprised, totally not expecting something like this. Of course, who would have expected to walk in a store where the only multi Shift-Shafter in Tamriel was? Coincidence anyone?

In a world where war was raging and big flying dinosaurs popped out of the ground like flowers those little unpredictable events could be believed to be part of hazard, but I knew well it wasn't. It was a little annoying thing called divine decree, or in other words destiny. In my case, Akatosh and the other deities were being total bitches with me...After all, it is unfair that I have to be somebody else to survive, and because of that, my pride was, well, turned to ashes long ago.

I was jerked back to the present from my internal dialogue because the man was staring at me with calculating and creepy eyes, making his way slowly to me.

"This...is interesting." he said with a low voice, setting himself up straight, having finally made his way to me.

For an answer, I changed into a long black cobra and hissed at him, hood wide open and blood red eyes still glaring at him. The thief seemed even more surprised, as he took a step back, but remained close.

"You know, the Guild could use you..." he said with a tempting voice, causing me to bare my fangs.

The second he leaned a hand to grab me, I screamed in my real voice.

_"AHHHHHHH!"_

Trust me. You never, _ever _want to hear me screaming in my true voice if you care about your health.

It was a long, high pitched voice that surely woke up every single person in the village and probably the people in Whiterun. I heard glass break, people screams as the thief stumbled backward, opening the door and crashing outside on his back. I went quiet, my eyes widening as I understood what problem I had in my hands.

Taking appearance of the red-headed thief, I grabbed the golden claw and bolted out of the store as fast as I could, hearing people shout behind me as I made my way into the forest:

"Stop right there you criminal scum!"

"THIEF!"

"Mom, why do they look exactly the same?"

"Dorthe go back inside!"

"GET THEM!"

The thief suddenly ran next to me, screaming above the yells from the crowd:

"FOLLOW ME!" he shouted, causing me to huff; was he _really _thinking I would follow him?

I threw the Golden Claw in the air and changed into a large black crow in front of everyone, not bothering at all. Ignoring the gasps, I grabbed the Claw in mid-air and flew away, toward the hidden bundle of supplies I had hidden in the forest this past week or so.

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I literally crashed in the clearing where I hid the barrel, not expecting the claw to be so heavy. My ebony feathers were ruffled from the fall and a few scratches were made because of the bloody claw. I didn't know why I stole it, I just liked it. For some reason, I felt myself rebel each time I thought about selling the darn thing.

I changed into my female nord form, a young woman with blue eyes and pale blond hair, only this time creating master mage robes instead of the tavern clothes. The clothes and armor I had were actually made out of my skin. The metal of the armors were organic, so it didn't protect very well. It was literally a second skin.

With a sight I started packing, easily spotting the not-really hidden barrel on a small crevasse, a few leaves and a dead tree hiding it. My hand snaked under the small tree and I tossed it aside easily, the trunk of the plant being very thin. I grabbed the barrel and lifted it out of the crevasse. I placed it on the grass, opening it and grabbing the medium sized purse of stolen money, a bag filled with a few apples, an empty book, a map of Skyrim, a spell book of Shock and one on Candlelight, some bread, a quill, ink, a carrot and three tomatoes.

I then strapped the small steel dagger I stole from the blacksmith's forge against my waist with a (stolen) belt made out of deerskin. I got up and looked down at myself. I took the bag, placed the Golden Claw inside and hung the bag on my right shoulder. After securing it, I walked out on the road and turned south, toward Riften.

I didn't feel like taking the thief's offer, but that city was the only one I never visited, and exploring was kinda my thing. I heard that the place was overrun by crime, and that would be a perfect opportunity for precious objects to...'_disappear'_, if you know what I mean. Plus, if the Guild's headquarters was there, that meant fences, which I could use. I couldn't go back to Whiterun where that bloody Mage Farengar was. No way.

"Its Riften then..." I whisper to myself, starting the long walk.

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I was starting to regret not having changed into a horse or something like that.

After at least an hour of walking, tripping and stumbling like a idiot, I felt like if I had ants in my boots. I tripped on a few rocks along the way, and it took a great deal of willpower to not shout the fact the Divines hated me to the whole world. Of course, I had to take an alternative route and climb half of the bloody mountain before I realised I was going the wrong way!

A dozen of minutes before I had passed next to a completely destroyed village. It should be the remains of Helgen. Rumors told that Alduin himself was the dragon who attacked it, and that he came for the Dragonborn, a prisoner of the Imperials. I heard that he works now for the Stormcloaks. Thinking about it, I didn't chose a side in the war. Probably because it's not my fight...

But if I had the choose, the Stormcloaks would gain a soldier. After what the Aldmeri Dominion tried to do to me, like if I would help the Empire.

I decided to take a break when I realised I was not even halfway to Riften, being near Honeystand Cave. The pines had been replaced by large yellow-leaved trees with white wood. When I was near the cave, a cave bear and a normal cave had burst out. It gave me the fright of my life, but I threw flames at them and they ran away like frightened rabbits. Outside the cave I found some bees, honey and a few red mushrooms known as Fly Amanda. After that I keep walking, just a little more rapidly. I didn't want to be there when the bears came back.

According to my map, a small village called Ivarstead was nearby. I could get a room at an inn, if there if one. I could even buy a bow or other supplies. Riften never heard of me, in fact my very existence is kept quiet by the now dead High King and other powerful people, so I could start anew.

Ivarstead came into view, the guard's torches helping me see where I was going. Of course, I could simply change into myself, but I could picture myself saying to everyone I was half Argonian. Like somebody was stupid enough to believe that. And a Argonian wouldn't have golden scales if you think about it. I could just say that I look like that since I was born and that I am a multi Shape-Shifter.

I can imagine how _that _would play out.

By miracle there was a inn in this place. It was a building called Vilemyr Inn. I walked in the place and slammed the door behind me, ignoring the glares I received from the female bard, who was apparently in the middle of a song. She grumbled something intelligible and resumed to sing:

_Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart._

_I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes._

I walked up to the owner of the inn, who was behind the counter and placed ten septims in his hands. I spoke in a rich but tired voice, feeling completely drained after the long walk:

"I'll like a room please." I asked politely, flipping my hair off my face.

The man, a Nord I think, stared at me for a few seconds. He then nodded, walking around the counter.

"Follow me." he said in a gruff voice, walking to one of the two rooms on the right.

_With a Voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art._

_Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes._

I followed him slowly, dragging my feet. The man showed me the room without a word. When he was about to leave, however, he spoke again:

"Call me if you need anything ma'am." he said, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

_It's an end to the evil, of all Skyrim's foes._

_Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes._

As soon as the wooden door closed I threw my bag under my bed and collapsed on the fluffy furniture, too tired to take off the steel dagger. I drifted into a dreamless sleep a few seconds later, the beautiful melody rocking me into sleep:

_For the darkness has passed, and the legend yet grows._

_You'll know, You'll know the Dragonborn's come._

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**Review guys! Was the chapter long enough?**


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